As Long As You Are There
by GashouseGables
Summary: DITS PREQUEL. School's starting, a fresh new year. Someone has just been emancipated, someone has started dating an older man, someone is trying to figure out if they're enjoying high school enough, and someone is gauging whether a white boy with no hair is a skinhead or not.
1. Beginning (Again)

Carlisle smiled down at the little boy who was trying to eat his own fist. He was a sweet boy, Carlisle had already fallen in love with him when they first met. When he was all but minutes old. Now he was three months, and Edward was a little cheeky, and very happy, considering he was now an orphan. He felt a little stab in his heart. Anthony Masen went to college with him, and they went through it all together. They moved to America together, he stood next to the man for his wedding, and his first son's Christening.

That was the thing about being a godfather – when the child's parents die, you actually _do_ look after them. But at twenty-three; he felt young, and stupid and untested.

Oh, Elizabeth's parents objected; they had enough money for a better lawyer. But he had the house, and full legal custody, as stipulated in their last will and testament.

Which meant Carlisle was now a single father; and he hadn't even gotten a date in _months_.

Little Edward blubbed some type of noise at him, and Carlisle melted, leaning down and letting the boy grasp his finger in his wet hand.

"We'll be just fine," he told the boy quietly.

* * *

Thought I should start finishing up on this. Been a while! I haven't got a proper ending for it, but you can consider Dancing in The Street the ending, though it came first.


	2. First Day

Rosalie Hale was sitting with the other pretty, shiny-haired girls. Her special distinction being she'd moved from New York at the start of Middle School, and had the appeal of being the prettiest. The line-up for the table changed constantly, depending on who was 'in' and who was 'out'. Usually her and Katie Marshall were fixtures, and occasionally a boyfriend sitting in the 'best' seats at lunch. They wore designer like it meant something in this tiny school, and she was the unquestioned alpha, with the richest parents in the best apartment building.

Emmett was a solid football player, he got him invited to the good parties, and his cheery, easy-going nature got him re-invited too. Some of the senior guys that knew his older brothers 'mentored' him; which really just meant he looked cool when they ruffled his hair in the halls. It was enough that no-one brought up his tiny house with several siblings and his father's orthodox forelocks and the fact he never went to Saturday practice.

Edward Cullen could have been one of them. Girls thought he was so very delectable; he'd made it into the newsletter for winning two different piano competitions, but never made a ripple. He _never_ even dated, not anyone. He always sat with that sister of his, _adopted_, East Asian, no big deal. Rosalie had thought some of their people were inviting him to sit with them at lunch, but he turned it down. As though he could get a better offer.

Jasper Whitlock had just moved up from Texas, and he could sum things up in a glance. In a place this small; he wasn't going to fly under the radar with his dark red nails and hand-me-down jacket. He could make them the talking points for his first appointment with the new therapist tomorrow, to talk about his first day of school after emancipation.

But for now, he had to attend his first day. He was trying to find the office and get his information together.

He's honestly just wandering now, and he's alone in the hall of a building that seemed to be mostly empty classrooms. So, Jasper turns when someone calls his name.

"Took your time!" There's a small girl skipping up to him, looking more excited than chiding. He stares at her, and a strong shiver runs down his body. As though he'd just surfaced from underwater, leaving him on the cusp of dizzy and grounded. She stands in front of him and puts her hands on her hips, one brow cocked and Jasper felt his gut _pull_ towards her.

Jasper wasn't one to freeze under pressure; after taking in the little beauty, his heart thuds back to life and his tongue unsticks from the roof of his mouth. "I'm sorry, miss." He said, a smile stretching over his cheeks from talking to a pretty, _pretty_ girl.

She watched his smile for a moment, before dropping her hands. "That's alright!" She chirps brightly. "I'm Alice Cullen," She said, and he held out his hand, palm-up. Alice offers her own hand, flat with thumb up, to shake. But he takes it and turns her fingers to hold them a few inches from his chin before letting go. Not exactly a kiss on the hand, but her cheeks go red all the same and that was his intention.

"I'll take you to the office," she offers, shaking off any coyness.

Jasper nodded once, more than pleased he had a such a pleasant assist. She mentions down the hall, but Jasper takes a step before she does.

"Hey, wait a minute Jasper," she calls out, halting him a few steps. He looks back at her, brows drawn together. She steps up to him, so they were toe-to-toe. Jasper doesn't move or jerk away when she reaches up, leaning forward, even though she was staring right at his nose. Good thing he doesn't, it makes it easy for Alice to tuck his shirt tag back into his collar. "Now you're perfect!" She declares and takes a few steps towards their original goal.

He's looking after her, and Alice hopes that tucking in his tag wasn't too forward of her. "Come on, it's this way!" She waves him over as she keeps walking, intent on ignoring how awkward she might have made things. Alice hopes he doesn't just turn on his heel and walk away from her weirdness.

He doesn't, only inclines his head and follows her again after a short pause. "Thanks." He adds, with a smile in his voice. She nods with a short agreeable hum, pleased she could help, but a little embarrassed with herself so she couldn't look him in the eye.

"Not a problem." Alice sings gently.

"Where are you from?" He asks, eyes narrowed not only curiously.

Alice shrugs, tucking her hands behind her back. "Mississippi, for the first four years of my life." She told him shortly, and the pointed at his chest. "_You_'re a Texan." She told him.

Jasper looked confused but still smiled. "How'd you know?" He asked back.

"I have my ways." She said with a shrug, not wanting to tell him she had actually taken a peek at his transfer paperwork. It'd make her look nosier than she usually was.

Jasper walks next to her as she takes him to the building. This building was mostly administration; there were only a scant few students around the grass. Jasper didn't mind the illusion of privacy with Alice beside him, their breath fogging the air.

"It's through here," Alice said, and Jasper holds open the door for her to step through first. Before she can, she pauses as the bell rings, grimacing. "I have to go. The administrator is just there." She insisted, and Jasper gives a nod.

"Thank you," he says, before she waves and skips off. He wants to wait for her to leave his sight, but she glanced at him over his shoulder, and he refused to be caught staring after her. Jasper steps inside the building quickly, allowing himself to see her little vague figure vanish behind a nearby building through the door's frosted window.

Slightly in a bad mood for watching her go, and slightly because he was late, he steps up to the woman behind the long desk. The back of his nape still burned from where her fingers touched it.

"Good mornin', I need my timetable?" He prompted, and she seemed the flustered type, nodding and clearing her throat, as though she was caught off guard. Maybe he was the first new student in years and she forgot the normal procedure.

Then an extremely beautiful girl strode in, and, while he was signing in, she took his academic file in her manicured fingers and flipped it open.

"You're new … Whitlock." She told him clearly. He was struck that her voice was much deeper and more mature than he thought; not at all the bubbly, high tones he had imagined of a perky blonde. But then again, she didn't seem particularly perky.

"That's not yours." Jasper says to her, not looking up from where he was signing in.

"Nice nails." She tells him blankly, and he thanks her in the same tone. That makes her smile, just a bit, and Jasper feels every bit the teenage boy he is because he likes making a pretty girl smile. They seemed too much the same animal, though. He didn't doubt that while they both leant against this counter; they were really circling each other, like primed predators. He also didn't doubt that she could bite his damn head off; but at least he gave as good as he got.

Plus, he could feel the tag of his shirt against his overly sensitive skin, but not in an unpleasant way.

They both ignored the administrator who told her to put the folder down. "Southern; how fun … you play guitar … alright." She snapped the file closed and pushed it into the administrator's lap. The woman gasps. "I'm Rosalie Hale, I'll walk you to class." She told him.

He nods goodbye to the even more flustered admin, and keeps his arm crooked as Rosalie takes his elbow to lead him out. She's no nonsense, and she all but marches at a brisk pace; the exact gait Jasper himself preferred. Pointing out bathrooms and from which exit you can get to which building closest.

She leads him out to a building across a large green patch spotted with benches, when she grips his arm a little tighter.

"Wait until Royce sees … wait a second …." She cautioned suddenly, and Jasper's forced to slow the pace to something reasonable as something flashy and red drives by. Neither of them look, and she sighs when it passes. "Boyfriend." She said heavily, and didn't sound or look at all pleased, she actually looked kind of sick.

"The bathrooms were over there, right?" He asks, eyeing her warily. He won't let a girl puke on him his first day. She shakes her head sharply and glared at him. _I'm fine_, her look clearly means, and Jasper doesn't push.

She takes him to his locker, and makes a very large deal of looking as he twists in his combination. He ends up also passing her the scrap of paper the numbers were written on, and she pockets it.

He takes his time putting his things away to annoy her, and Rosalie snorts at the slow pace. "You're a pretty girl." He tells her, smiling with mirth.

She levels him with an unimpressed look. "That's no way to treat your cheat sheet." She informs him.

"Tongue-twister."

Rosalie flicks some hair off her shoulder and tilts her chin up to look down at him. "I'll drop you off at your class and you can choose to find my table at lunch." She didn't phrase it like an offer, because Jasper certainly didn't feel the word 'choose' was emphasized enough.

He liked her brazenness, though, and he nods once. Their understanding reached, Rose dropped him off in metalwork, which she seemed distasteful about, at best. She gave him a _look_ as she left, and he wiggled his fingers at her as she disappeared down the hall.

The teacher welcomed him, and invited him to pick where he'd like to sit. It was three rows of stools and benches. Jasper looked at a boy dressed all in black, with his long hair tied back and a bored look on his face. He was the complete opposite of the kinds of guys Jasper ended up hanging out with in Texas.

"You'll do." He decides aloud, tromping over and sitting next to him.

Jasper waited for him to introduce himself, since the teacher had told the class his name. "D.J. Garret." The kid says, lifting one palm lazily in a wave. Jasper nodded and didn't reply.

The class was insipid and not exactly what Jasper was after. He'd hoped they'd cover some things plumbers and electricians charged for; considering he was on his own now and wanted to learn. But D.J Garret seemed the ace in the class; his deft fingers taking the sheet of metal Jasper mangled and used the funny tool with a lever to fold it into something resembling a box.

Jasper was bored in the warehouse-like room; he'd had spotted her while he was zoning out the window. Alice Cullen, the lovely little slip of a girl from before, bobbing past in a hurry. "What do you know of _her_?" He asked, vaguely surprised at his own breathy tone.

D.J Garret only saw the last second of her, but it seemed that was all he needed. "Alice Cullen. Don't bother." He said with a shrug.

Jasper felt his insides twist, and he scowled. "Rude."

"She's in a world of her own." D.J. Garret with a smile. Jasper would never hang out with guys half this corny, not back in Texas. "She and her brother keep to themselves, and no one's on their level here anyway." He explained.

Jasper just found himself grinning. "We'll see." He replied and pushed off the table. He went to the teacher with an apologetic grimace. "I didn't have time for the bathroom while I was looking for this class." He told her quietly.

She smiles and nods once, handing him a … keychain. "Do you know where it is?" She asks him.

"Yes, thank you, ma'am." Jasper says, staring at the keychain that she explains is the hall pass. "… the fuck?" He mutters as he walks off, and D.J. Garrett snickers behind him. "I'm probably not going to make it back before the end of class, might get lost." Jasper tells him over his shoulder, mind already on that tiny slip of a girl.

"Thought you might," D.J. Garret says after him as he bolts after her the second he's out of the sight of the windows. She turns when he calls out her name.

She takes him to the library, and Jasper all but floats after her.

She chats to him, but he loses the words coming out of her mouth. He can't do much more than gaze and gaze and gaze. She stamps swiftly through a small mountain of books and he admires her deft fingers. He can barely hear his own thoughts through the rushing in his ears. Even though this was a calm midday; the light from the windows lit her up in a way that might've been magic.

She runs at the bell, and for a moment his gut clenches with an old wild urge to chase after her. But she slips gracefully through the door with barely a sound.

There was a new boy, and he was _beautiful_. Already Alice had gotten to see him three times today.

She'd found out about him from Miss Platt that morning, and Alice was glad she hunted the hallways to find him, because if he wasn't her soulmate than she may as well join a nunnery. No boy made her feel so _tingly_; her palms got sweaty and she kept smiling when she thought about him.

Alice was really glad about herself; her first crush! It was important, and she intended to do everything every single other girl did with it. Doodle his name in her notebook and write bad poetry about his eyes. She was taking several books back to the library for Ms. Platt, and already planning on finding out where he sat at lunch, so she could get a good vantage point.

She hears a male voice call her name as she passes the music room, and figured Edward had spotted her coming and asked for a hall pass to bug her. No one else really spoke to her. Cheeky, Alice skips ahead so he'll jog to catch up, and hears heavy footsteps quickening. She doesn't question it was Edward, even though, in retrospect, the shoes sounded heavier than his usual loafers.

"Are you skipping class just for little ol' me?" She simpers brightly just as he reaches her, spinning around. She doesn't outwardly startle when she sees it was Jasper. She didn't want to get into the explanation that her brother was the only male to ever talk to her at school aside from the teachers.

He smiles at her warmly, though. "Yeah." He agrees easily. She's glad he doesn't think she's a freak for saying that.

"Let me carry some of your books?" He suggests, hands outstretched. Alice is taken aback by how _nice_ that is, and she hands him three. He tucks them under his arm and falls into step next to her. "… Are we going to the library?" He checks, and she laughs with a nod.

He followed in step with her down to the library building, and Alice tried not to skip. But she was happy! She got to spend more time with him. She glanced up at him, and he caught her eye to grin at her.

Alice nearly floated all the way to the entrance. "So, this is the library," she said with a flourish; he was new and probably asked to carry her books so that she could show him. "And I have to fudge the return dates," Alice told him, slipping over to the other side of the counter, where the computer screen was angled.

Esme and the librarian were good friends; which meant Alice had permission to change the date on the stamp so that it looked like Esme consistently returned the books on time. They always did it; Alice usually returned all the books in the return box too. It got her some fresh air because Esme wrote her a hall pass that would probably last until lunch. Well, the pass kept getting stolen; Esme had taken to using troll dolls she bought from thrift stores.

Alice gasps and looks at Jasper, who was leaning against the counter across from her. "Oh! Do you have a hall pass?" She asks him quickly.

Jasper smiles and pulls it out of his pocket. It was a keychain that said: 'KISS ME I'M IRISH' with a messy signature on a sticker. Alice nods, satisfied, and flicks open the first book, stamped it, and hopped over to slide it into the trolley to be put away later.

"You stamp; I'll put them away." Jasper offers, stepping up next to her when she gets to the next book. She nods, and stamps again, handing it over to him.

"Are you settling in okay?" Alice asks him brightly. She hoped he was; and if he wasn't, she could always invite him to sit with her and her brother!

But Jasper nods with another smile. "I'm doin' just fine." He assured her. "Why are these all art reference books?" Jasper was glancing at the book she'd given him, eyes skimming over the glossy cover.

Alice tapped the troll doll. "This is for the art class teacher, Ms. Platt. Our projects are designing a movie poster for our favorite movie, but advertising it as a different genre." She explained to him.

Jasper laughs lightly. "What movie did you pick?"

Alice grins back, and proceeds to explain her design. It was _Tuck Everlasting_ but as a crime noir with a missing girl; from her parent's perspective. As she explains the design, she ends up actually stamping the other books, with today's date, and Jasper continues to put them on the trolley. She ends up segueing to talking about how her initial idea,_ School of Rock_, in the style of _Dead Poet's Society_, would be too on-the-nose because Jack Black was already an inspirational teacher.

All through it, Jasper was nodding, smiling, and altogether active listening. He leant on the small pile of stamped books he stopped putting away.

"Have you even seen it?" Alice asks, only thinking to check after talking about it for ten minutes. Jasper shrugged his shoulders, looking amiable, so Alice drove on to explain the basic plot to him.

"… And even though they didn't win the prize money, they got an encore and that meant more to them." Alice concludes, and Jasper hums in agreement. She felt a bit silly with how invested she'd ended up becoming about the film, especially in front of Jasper, so she laughed and waves a hand. Jasper blinks slowly, stilling smiling. "Anyway, it's a great movie. Have I convinced you to watch it? Or did I just spoil it?" Alice asks brightly. He quietly asks her which movie was so great. Alice laughs at his silly joke. "School of Rock! Have I sold you on it?" She asks.

Jasper blinks rapidly, the smile wiped off his face. "What?" He asks, eyes wide as he straightens up. "Oh, sorry, yeah, I know that movie. It's really good." He says, a bright smile on his face, his tone perky with realization.

But Alice felt her heart stutter and sink into her belly. It was obvious he hadn't been listening to her at all when she was talking, or he would have said that at least 3 minutes ago. "I just told you the whole plot, though …." She pointed out, feeling lame and boring.

Jasper clears his throat and shifts his feet. "Yeah, it's a good movie …." He said with a shrug.

Alice shuffles the books a little, embarrassed over being hurt that Jasper hadn't said anything sooner. She was glad when the bell rings for lunch.

"I'm going to go, and eat now …" She explains, pointing to the library doors. She really wanted to run away; what kind of fool blathers on without realizing that the other person wasn't paying attention? Alice flees quickly, throwing a quick 'remember to return your pass!' over her shoulder as she does.

She races back to the art classroom, where Mrs. Platt was just pushing all the chairs back in.

"There you are! Are my books all returned promptly?" Esme asks, smiling a little. Alice smiles and nods, picking up her bag and returning the troll doll. She waves as Esme tells her to enjoy her lunch, and heads into the cafeteria to hide in a corner with her brother.

Edward doesn't look up from his scribbling when she joins him. They never sat with anyone at lunch; they just sat in the corner, at their own table and kept to themselves. Alice felt a little safe in the familiarity of her brother, but she knew she wouldn't mind making other friends.

"Did you have fun at music?" Alice asks him.

Edward shook his head. "No, I had bio." He corrects her absently.

Alice frowns. "I thought I heard you call me from the music room. And then Jasper came and carried some books with me to the library!" She told brightly.

Edward shrugged one shoulder. "Then he was the one that called out to you." He muttered. "He's not even in my music class."

"Huh …." Alice picked at the lunch their dad had home-delivered to them in the mornings. She thought over her conversation with Jasper with unhappiness. "Oh! I should have flirted!" Alice says out loud, slapping a hand to her forehead. She had been talking to the cutest boy, who obviously hadn't wanted to talk about movies, and she should have _flirted_.

"What are talking about?" Edward sighed, and shoves his book in his bag.

"Do you think I'm boring?" Alice asks him, thinking back to how she explained a movie a boy already knew, and only mentioned it at the end. "Do I talk too quickly?" She asks, hoping Jasper just hadn't been too polite to wait until he could get a word in edgewise. She hadn't wanted to ask too many questions; because he was new and was probably getting interrogated by everyone else.

Edward was used to her quick topic changes, and just twists his hand, palm down; so-so.

The answer depresses Alice. "I don't want to be boring." She told him unhappily. Jasper was probably half-asleep listening to her babble. She'd felt really enraptured by his attention, too, which had made her feel giddy with excitement, and now, equally as embarrassed.

Edward smiles though, chuckling a little. "No one in their right mind could call you boring." He told her.

Alice made a face, and picked at her food. "Well, someone might think that." She muttered.

Edward was frowning, like he was close to the whole 'over-protective big brother' thing again. "Who?"

"_No-one_," Alice whined, pointing down to Edward's own lunch, "eat your food."

Edward picks it up, but he's watching her closely, with a little frown.

Emmett had been shoved out of the van by his little sister Sarah, and jogged into school. Lee Stephens and Connor were already waiting at his locker. They seemed to be deep in discussion and didn't notice him sneak up on them.

"Hey, guys!" He yelled, grabbing Connor around the shoulders. The boy yelled and stumbled forward, crashing into some freshmen, who scattered away like bowling pins.

"Em, fuck off!" Connor laughed, punching him in the shoulder.

"You suck." Lee told him seriously, and then pointed to the back of a boy's head. "Also, we're considering that new guy." He said. Connor nodded, and made a show of squinting at the boy.

Emmett followed where Lee pointed, and frowned. The guy wasn't new, he was a substitute on their football team. But before the summer, had swoopy hair and was a little bit, as his bubbe would say 'built heavily and with no structure'. He'd been big but kind of chubby, with bad skin. "You mean Rob Sawyer?" Emmett asked them.

Lee gasps. "The guy on the _bench_, that's him?" He asked incredulously.

"He looks way better with no hair!" Connor exclaims, and he and Lee talk about the pros and cons of bald white boys. 'Could be a skinhead', 'but his fade is choice'. Emmett let them discuss it amongst the two of them.

Keisha, Connor's cousin and a rather cool senior, called out about a party she wanted him at, in case he had to hold back her hair. Connor agreed, and the boys slapped palms, grinning with anticipation for the night at a big kid's party.

Suddenly, Lee slammed his fist against the locker next to him, creating a loud bang. The sound got the attention of everyone in the hall. "Hey, Rob!" He yelled.

The boy came over, rubbing his hand over his scalp, glancing between all three of them. "Um, hey, Stephens." Rob greeted him with a head-bob.

Connor eyed the boy critically. "Is that the new Ivy Park?" He asked, nodding to the boy's hoodie.

Rob shrugged, tugging at the hem a little. "Yeah, my mom didn't want it, so …"

"It's a women's hoodie." Connor pointed out, his gaze narrowed but not harshly so.

Rob just shrugged. "So?" He asked, and Emmett let out a little laugh. It was a good answer, and the boys seemed to accept it.

Lee nodded, obviously approving. He glanced at Emmett, and raised his eyebrows. Emmett figured he was considering inviting the guy to the party. It was a senior party, so another sophomore there would be pushing it.

But Emmett nodded anyway; he always liked a crowd. Plus, if the seniors kicked them out again, they could just go to that park down the street from school and play on the swings. Emmett wouldn't admit it out loud; but he'd always been told boys shouldn't use the swings and he liked the playground when it was empty, so people weren't staring at him.

"Heard you're trying to get off the bench." Connor told Rob.

"Yeah, I'm talking to Coach Clapp about it." Rob replied, glancing between the three of them. "Been practicing all summer."

Lee nodded, decisive. "There's a party tonight, you should come." He said.

Rob was already smiling. "Yeah, at Charlie's house; he lives a street over from me." He said.

Lee told him they'd all see him there, and he waved before they walked away.

Rosalie was reapplying her lip gloss carefully, using the back of her mirrored phone case. Katie Marshall, as usual swamped with the same Victoria Secret's body splash, Love Potion or something, pulls out her mirror compact to do the same. Rosalie doesn't roll her eyes, outwardly. Marshall might _think_ the compact was trendy or sophisticated, but it just reeked of vanity and outdated style. It was so painfully something of her mother's she'd taken.

Rosalie picks a fry off of the other girl's tray, saying casually; "Cute mirror, Katie."

Katie beams, her eyes lighting up. "Thanks! Took it from my mom!" She divulged, like the most delicious secret in the world. Rosalie laughs lightly, and steals another fry, popping it into her mouth instead of replying. She glanced around the cafeteria, already bored after the first five minutes of lunch.

She spotted something that seemed mildly interesting. "Who's that?" She asked, nodding to someone tall, with super long, wavy hair, and a nice face.

Katie shrugs, barely glancing up. "No clue, must be new." She replies.

Unlike Jasper, who was garnering attention on his own, she hadn't made a ripple. He was sitting with some nobody instead of taking Rosalie's invitation. It was something Rosalie wouldn't forget.

Rosalie watched as the girl slinks into the sandwich bar line before a couple acting gooey together noticed, instead of going to the back of the line. "Invite her over." Rosalie decides with a nod. She was someone it benefitted to know, and Jasper would be sorry he spurned her.

Ever perky, Katie grins and straightens her back. "Okay!" She twisted her red hair between her fingers, until the girl reached to the pay station. Then she hops up and makes a beeline for her.

Rosalie doesn't watch her; she didn't need to. If the girl didn't want to sit with them, then she was an idiot and rejecting Katie specifically would mean the redhead would be overly invested in destroying her. But if she accepted, then that was really all there was to it.

Katie comes bouncing into her seat again, and the new girl takes a seat next to her.

"Rosalie! This is Jennifer Ford; her dad's a movie director!" Katie says excitedly, and Rosalie nods.

Jennifer offers a hand, slim with long fingers and carefully shaped nails. Rosalie decides to shake it, and smiles nicely. "That's a cool job." Rosalie tells her.

Jennifer shrugs and picks at her food. "It's whatever, he's still in Los Angeles." She tells them.

Katie's eyes go wide. "You lived in _L.A_? That's awesome." She gushes, and Jennifer shrugs again, her expression moody. Rosalie could tell that someone didn't want to leave. "Rosalie came here from a big city too; New York." She adds helpfully.

"Cool; this place is kind of dinky, huh?" Jennifer asks her, a smirk forming on her face.

Rosalie just shrugs. "Quiet, but it has potential." She replies, glancing over at Jasper. He was looking at her, and gets up from his seat. Rosalie glances back at Jennifer.

Katie makes a disgruntled noise; she was born and raised here, after all. Miffed, Katie crosses her arms. "So, where did you settle in?" She asks archly, listing off a few of the boring outer suburbs.

But Jennifer names the penthouse of the second-best apartment building in the city; which had a view of the ocean. Rosalie was impressed, and Katie's haughty demeanor was dampened.

"You guys could come over and hang out sometime." Jennifer suggests casually. Katie accepts with a giggle, but Rosalie doesn't reply.

Connor Chijindu walks up to them, tapping Katie on the shoulder. "Party at some guy's place, meet at the bus stop near that fugly bench at 7 o'clock." He says, before dawdling away.

Katie nods, and glances at Rosalie, before surreptitiously nodding towards Jennifer.

"Will we see you there?" Rosalie asks her.

Jennifer nods, but frowns. "I don't know where the fugly bench is." She says. Rosalie doesn't reply to inane questions, so Katie explains about the bench they forced the entire grade to submit designs for and spliced together to make a concrete monstrosity.

Jasper, for lack of a better word, _slinks_ over, and leans his elbows against the table next to Rosalie. Katie's eyes light up. The _cool_ new kid was here.

"Been a minute," Jasper murmurs warmly to Rosalie, his expression amused. Rosalie crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows.

"What?" She asks him tersely. She never took rejection well.

"Hoping I could pull you away." He replies softly.

Rosalie weighs her options; reject him in turn, get even. Jasper fades into obscurity where he belongs for not being eager to be her friend. Rosalie watches the way he smiles, and doesn't scowl openly, but barely. This wasn't the type of boy that stopped being noticeable, she knew it.

Finally, she nodded, and excused herself from the table. It wasn't an admission or a loss on her part, no doubt Jasper just needed to be shown the social hierarchy at work. He didn't seem like a fool; he would be able to tell that Rosalie was on top.

"I was hoping they'd be no hard feelings." Jasper began, eyeing Rosalie a little warily. She didn't really feel like trying for an olive branch, though.

"Gross." She supplied quickly, and then spread her hands apart. "What?" She snapped.

But Jasper only began to smile a little, and inclines his head towards a very private corner of the room. "Who is that?" He asks, his tone heavy with something Rosalie didn't really understand.

He was mentioning to the Cullen siblings, and Rosalie felt another stinging surge of anger. Edward Cullen was elusive and quiet, and his sister was light and airy. They were untouchable in similar ways though, ways that made Rosalie angry. She wanted to think that they were haughty and aloof; and somehow better at being both than she was. But they were both calm in ways no teenager with hormones and the same excruciating amount of puberty could be. Jasper seemed to have fallen for their presence too. At least Rosalie could acknowledge that he had taste; Alice was extremely pretty.

She told him the girl Cullen's name, but he only bobs his head once, obviously already knowing it. She just shrugs when he glances at her, as though encouraging her to continue.

He seems decidedly unhappy. "Not friends?" Jasper asks, eyebrows raised.

"Not in the least." Rosalie confirms. This wasn't the answer Jasper seemed to want, and he takes a step back. But for a moment, he dithers, and tilts his head towards Rosalie, with an expression she knew too well to like.

"I'd hoped you did." Jasper says. He didn't want to end their conversation; but the purpose had been exceeded. He had planned on talking to her about a girl he noticed. It was an offer of friendship if there ever was one.

Rosalie shrugs. "There's a party tonight, come." She told him. He could keep his social upwards mobility going if he showed up at the right places. The party tonight would be the right place to be, Rosalie was going to be there.

But Jasper shakes his head. "I don't really …" he nodded to Rosalie's table. "I've had my fair share of parties." He said, with some regret. Rosalie frowned; she didn't understand what he meant. She knew what he _meant_; he didn't want to keep himself noticeable here. He was rejecting the entire institution. But she didn't know _why_.

Like some things she didn't know of, she powered on anyway. "We're meeting at a place we call the 'fugly bench'." She told him the actual address, and he nods once. "7 o'clock."

Jasper looked at her, head tilted again. "… Alright, I'll be there." He finally says. Rosalie feels much more settled knowing he was at least willing to play the game. She had a feeling he was a guy that was turned 'on' at parties.

She nods and walks back to her table. The girls try and demand she tell them everything, and she says only that he got him to agree to come to the party. Her light "that's all." tells them both to drop the subject, and they do.

Katie and Jennifer chat for a little bit, both agreeing Jasper was dateable. Rosalie glances over at the best 'boy' table. Connor was there, with Lee Stephens and Emmett McCarty.

Emmett glances over at her, and grins with all his straight, white teeth. Rosalie suddenly feels as though her stomach was tender, but not exactly nauseous, and is glad when the bell rings.

"So, 7, okay?" Katie checks with Jennifer, before trotting along after Rosalie to see her to class.

Katie gives her air-kisses, and doesn't move until Rosalie says 'bye!'. Katie calls over her shoulder, promising to text her if something happens.

Rosalie doesn't bother replying, because nothing _ever_ happens.


	3. Throwback

At the end class, Katie is waiting for her, and takes her to the corner of the street, where her mother usually picks her up. Katie was driven by her big brother, who was a popular senior because he sold weed out of the shoebox under his bed.

"So, that Jennifer girl seems cool, right?" Katie asks, as always, constantly making sure she was in the majority opinion. Rosalie murmurs some sort of affirmative and smiles expectantly.

Katie knew the drill, though. She gave Rosalie air-kisses and promised to text her when she got home. As the redhead walked back to school, though, she stepped past Edward Cullen, who was looking straight at Rosalie. Rosalie ignored the way Katie mockingly fanned herself, and Edward stopped in front of her.

"Good afternoon," Edward tells her, and Rosalie barely avoids scowling. She didn't like Edward; often, she thought she saw him roll his eyes at her. But he was mature and handsome, and noticeable, so she refrained from punching him in the face. That, and her $85 nails.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want?" Rosalie suggests, her light tone belying her irritation.

Edward looks as though he'd rather avoid this, as well. But his dismissal just makes her angrier; _she_ was the one who was above this conversation, not him!

"If the new kid wants anything to do with my sister, have him talk to me." Edward told her.

Rosalie certainly did not like being told what to do. She also didn't like that apparently Jasper had made himself so obvious, even Edward could spot his game. Though the boy kind of knew things no one else seemed to notice. When Rosalie had finally declared the cool, college-student Royce King as her boyfriend, Edward had muttered 'good luck' under his breath when he passed her in the halls.

But now, she just smiled. "That's not my business." She said to Edward sweetly.

Edward shrugged. "Just thought you'd want to know …." He trailed off as he turned around. "Birds of a feather, after all." He said as he walked away.

Rosalie hated that he had the last word, and was definitely implying something insulting, but her mother pulled up before she could dart over to Edward and kick him square in his retreating back, like she wanted to.

Gloria Hale sweeps out of the car to enfold her daughter into a tight hug. "_Hija_, mama missed you!" She coos and hugs her daughter limply. Rosalie doesn't bother being embarrassed; it was unofficial, but she had the most enviable mother. Still beautiful, always impeccably dressed, always gave her money and swanned about with never a hair out of place.

The only other parent half so coveted was the Cullen's dad; he was English and handsome and drove a Mercedes.

Rosalie accepts a kiss on her forehead before she climbed into the car. They pull away from the curb, and Rosalie glances at her little brother, already picked up from elementary school.

He was playing a game on his DS and didn't glance up when she flicked a bit of his hair out of his eyes.

"Your brother is going to a sleepover! Plans tonight, baby?" Her mother asks her in the rearview mirror.

Rosalie doesn't think about how she could almost hear the desperation in her mother's tone. But she wasn't sure if her mother wanted her to have plans, and stay out of the house, willfully oblivious to the fact that their father wouldn't be home. Or that Rosalie would stay home and keep her company.

"I have plans." Rosalie told her, and her mother only nodded in a vaguely pleasant way. Rosalie hoped she was sober when she was driving, but she wasn't going to ask.

"_So_ …." Alice drawls with her eyebrows raised. Edward rolls his eyes at her because her tone brought out her Southern accent.

"You're out of Mississippi, you could at least act like it." He tells her.

Alice's eyes narrow, because she hates not knowing things. "_You_ were talking to Rosalie." She accuses him, because she wanted to know _why._

"_I_ need you to mind your own business." Edward replied in the same tone, though his expression is thunderous.

But Alice kind of liked Rosalie; she wore the cutest heels to all the school dances in Middle School, and her backpacks were always adorable too. But she had silly little friends. Plus Edward thought she was frivolous and annoying. "Just don't murder each other." Alice tells him with a shrug, but he only grumbles 'no promises' and tells her to switch to a less crappy radio station.

As always, Edward is careless with driving, and at one turn they ride up on the curb and Alice gives a squeal as they bumble over it.

"How did you even pass your driving test!?" Alice yelped as they _th-thumped_ back onto the road.

Edward shrugged, jerking the wheel so unsteadily his shoulders were in the movement. "Smiled a lot at the lady instructor." He said, grinning at her until she demanded he watch the road.

Rosalie arrives to the meet-up spot exactly when she means to; not the very last, but there was already a small group of people that had formed before she got there. Katie was already there, along with Connor and Emmett.

Rosalie only inclined her head when Emmett complimented her blouse, and shouldered Katie to look at the time on her phone.

Emmett and Connor were talking heatedly between themselves.

"That should have been me!" Connor declared suddenly, shoving at Emmett, who laughed. But he was blushing heavily and ducking his head.

Katie eagerly stepped forward, eyes darting between them. "What? What happened?" She demanded, grinning.

Connor threw an arm around Emmett, who was cringing. "Emmett-"

"Dude, no!" Emmett snapped, and his frantic eyes darts to Rosalie.

Rosalie was made curious by his behavior, and steps towards them. "Emmett lost his virginity to a Prince song!" Connor yells, before Emmett claps a hand over his mouth. But the words were out, and Katie starts laughing and clapping her hands.

"Aw, that's so fun!" She cheers, as Connor wiggles free of Emmett's grip. "Tell us! Tell us!" She chants, glancing to Rosalie, who was saying nothing, and immediately sedating herself as well. "Tell." She adds quietly.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and nodded for Emmett to continue. He blows out a sigh, "… It was on his birthday last year, and we had the video on and the disk jockey was having a lot of fun!" Emmett says, beginning to smile just a touch while scratching the back of his head. "… And so were we. Nervous, clumsy fun."

Connor growls with frustration. "_I_ should have done that!" He insists, pressing a solemn hand to his heart. "It's what Prince would have wanted." He intones.

"It _so_ is!" Katie agrees, giggling. Rosalie looks down the road for their stragglers, and then glanced down at her phone.

"Hi!" The new voice draws everyone's attention, and Jennifer makes a half-aborted wave.

Katie greets her cheerfully and introduces her to everyone else.

Katie notices Jasper sauntering towards them, and Rosalie steps forward to greet him. She squeezes his shoulders and he's amiable to pressing his cheek to hers. She introduces everyone in turn and keeps a hand around his elbow.

Jasper seems to have turned on the charm; tells a story about swearing in fright as a great black dog barked through an open window on his way here. Then how the little old lady owner burst out of the door to scolded him for his language. He was funny, everyone laughed, and Emmett eyed the hand Rosalie still had on his arm. She felt very satisfied with Jasper's presence and decided she would forgive him for not sitting with her at lunch.

Lee ends up being the last one there, and the rest of the group comfortably rag on him. They head to the party, as the only really cool sophomores in school, so it's full of older kids.

The party is just getting amped up as they arrive, and Rosalie was getting filled in on all the information Katie was able to get.

Lee, Emmett and Connor yelled, and went to a boy their age that Rosalie hadn't seen before. His head was shaved, and he gets a few claps on the back.

Rosalie pointed to him, and Katie's eyes go wide. "That's Rob Swayer!" Katie squawked, and Rosalie frowned, the name wasn't familiar. "He was nobody last summer! He's _hot_," Katie hissed, starting to grin.

Rosalie wasn't particularly interested; but she could almost recall his face in the halls last year. The type was a little taller and on the stocky side. He played video games and had greasy hair and never washed his face. A nobody, until now. New shave, new clothes, new status.

It was another white boy's glow up; nothing remarkable.

Jasper stepped up to her elbow, eyes glancing around and looking partially disinterested. "So, this is fun." He tells her, as they peel off to find somewhere to be seen.

Rosalie glowered at him, though he seemed unaffected. "You seem to think you're better than this." She told him darkly. This was where she thrived, where she played the game and always won.

Jasper laughs, and it's not a gentle sound. "Try again. I did all this back in Texas; not the same amount of money," he said, his tone considering, as he glanced around the large modern house. "But I was good at it." He told her. Rosalie could tell he was, too. Sometimes, being noticeable was more about attitude than looks or style. While Jasper had all three in spades; so did she.

"What's stopping you now?" Rosalie asked him seriously. This wasn't about spurning her friendship, he was more than willing to show up to this party after his first day.

Jasper shrugged, buts he didn't look at her. "Got tired of it." He frowned, and when her shoulder presses against his, he shifts away. "There was a - it doesn't matter," he mutters lowly, "I was just in way over my head. I promised myself I'd just do what I wanted this time, actually enjoy myself." He smiles when he says this, like it's a revelation that was hard-earned and relieving.

"You're thinking too hard about this." Rosalie told him. Being noticeable wasn't forever, it probably wouldn't even last a month out of high school. It just made things _easier_ while you were there, and it _was_ enjoyable. "In a couple years, none of what we do is going to matter." She tells him with a shrug. "Why not come out on top?" At her question, he only shrugs in return, amusement in his eyes.

She didn't appreciate a hint of being laughed at, though, and flicks her hair. "... Alice doesn't seem the type of survive ridicule." She tells him bluntly, looking at his too-large coat, his painted nails. The girl Cullen was coasting on her conjoined presence with her brother and their reserve. But dating Jasper, who seemed rather focused on being 'alternative'. Her tiny stature and airy disposition reeked of fragility, like there was something about her that could bring her crashing down. This school could rip her pieces and him as well. "Or rather, I'm not sure if she'd avoid it with you." The small smile slipped off Jasper's face; but Rosalie continued. "You want to do things your own way; fine," she gave another casual shrug.

Jasper took a step away from her, and for a moment, he looked extremely unhappy. Then he glanced at her, and they both looked towards Emmett's boisterous laugh. He was balancing a beer can on his head while one of the juniors tried to place a ping-pong ball on top of it.

Jasper was watching her when Rosalie met his gaze again, and she clenched her jaw. "… You're right." He t her softly, starting to smile. "Why not?" He asked. Rosalie nodded smartly in return. She loved being right; and Jasper really would only benefit from being her friend.

He loped an arm through hers and tugged, telling her to take him to some people.

Jasper made a great impression at the party; he'd shot across the room to help one of the most popular seniors, Makenna, free her skirt from a pot-plant before she flashed someone. She'd declared him her 'best little helper'. Her boyfriend, Charles, had ruffled his hair, and out of all the new sophomores at this party, he was the only one the graduating class remembered the next day.

* * *

See, I always love mean-Rosalie, she's ... a bitch. And I love her so much.


	4. The Thunderbird

Jasper hopped out of the bus while actively texting an old foster sibling. He was buying the guy's car, for a steal since he was willing to make it an emancipation present. Congrats on getting out alive; have my Thunderbird.

Jasper spotted her, little Alice with the spring in her step, and nearly fell flat on his face when he missed a gap in the sidewalk. She was rounding the corner he'd just passed and hadn't seen him yet. Quickly, he flicks the tag of his shirt out, and turns his back to her.

Sure enough, there was a scurrying of steps and Alice giggles at his shoulder. "Jasper! Tag!" She sang, and her fingers brushed the back of his neck as he tried not to grin like a fool.

"Thanks for looking out." He tells her, and she nods cheerfully. They walk in step into school, and Alice glanced down at his phone. Not spying, just cursory.

"You like red?" She asks, and he frowns. His phone was black – oh, his nails. He looks down at them, and frowns with a shrug. He liked the freedom he felt; he liked the color.

"I like doing what I want." He told her carefully. A beautiful girl's mockery was always painful, but it seems he avoided it, as she only smiles and nods.

"Very cool," she replies approvingly. He wants to offer to let her look at them closer; he wants to hold her hand. There's a throat-clearing, and a skinny white boy with a bird's nest on his head is glaring at them.

"Hiya, Eddie." Alice says, stepping up to him casually. She gives him a one-armed almost-hug, using the arm around his belly to swing around him lazily. "This is my brother." She tells Jasper from her brother's other side.

"Edward Cullen, you're Jasper." The boy said impatiently, before Jasper could even offer a handshake. He's all but waving him off, eyes on his sister. "I need you," he says and whisks her away.

Jasper scowls after him; he knows a judgy virgin when he sees one.

There's a yell, and Emmett waves at him. "Hey, from the party!" The boy greets him, reaching out as though to clap him on the back.

Jasper swiftly holds out his own hand; making it a very sloppy high-five instead that neither of them seemed bothered by. "Emmett; what's up?" Jasper asks him pleasantly. The big guy was nice; last night Rosalie looked him full in the face for three seconds, before flouncing up the stairs to use to bathroom and let Emmett know she was wearing blue panties at the same time. Jasper had been standing with her before she'd gone, so he'd also gotten an eyeful, but enjoyed it considerably less than the thick-framed boy.

"Got phy-si-cal ed-u-ca-t_ion_!" Emmett says slowly, with relish. Jasper had the same class and told him so, though Emmett said he already knew that. The guy seemed to have a bounce in his step as they walked. Jasper could have snorted; he looked like a jock too. "You got clothes, you got proper clothes?" Emmett prompts seriously. Jasper shrugs one shoulder; mostly because he had no idea what Emmett meant by that.

Emmett hummed disapprovingly. "We have rules here!" He chided the guy as they both dawdled towards the gym. "Gotta have a brand name, should be black or white. Maybe gray." Emmett explained.

Jasper frowns. He didn't plan on wasting money on that. "Might not." He said shortly.

It seemed Emmett knew that he meant. "Ah! But you're with _us_!" Emmett declared in a friendly way. "Katie's mom knows people; you can get some samples, ask her nicely." He said with a wink.

Jasper felt himself smiling despite his initial resistance. This was what he liked about being at the top in Texas; the connections, the ease. He thought about pretty, pretty Alice; how nice she'd look at a fun party. How she'd look all dressed up in something short, hopefully. He thought about her dainty gait; how she might like dancing.

Maybe he'd been hasty in his initial attempt to reject the system. It had its perks, after all.

"Maybe I will." Jasper tells Emmett, and they both grin as they step into the gym.

The lockers were a hassle; surprisingly, a young man stepped up to Jasper as Emmett ambled off to his friends. Jasper didn't know them well enough to follow him, and he didn't particularly care for macho-jock energy.

There's a tap on his shoulder, and Jasper spins around quickly. "Hey, my friend D.J Garret said you'd need these." A brown boy said, holding out a pair of black track pants. The guy reminds him of the geneticist in the television show Jasper had half-watched last night. Something to do with people who get superpowers.

"Um, thanks, guy." He said, not reaching for the pants since he didn't know him.

But the boy shrugged and threw them over jasper's shoulder, where they hung loosely. "S'cool." He stuck out a hand. "Austin Marks." Jasper shook and introduced himself.

When he pulled his hand away; his palm was covered in blue ink. He looked down at it, and then to Marks.

The boy looked vaguely embarrassed. "Sorry, I got bored this morning." He explained, holding up his own hand. It was covered in a bird spreading its wings. Patchy and messy as a significant amount of ink had transferred to Jasper's skin; but Jasper liked it immensely.

"Very cool." Jasper tells him, and the other boy shrugs again, but he looks pleased.

"Jazz-man!" Emmett voice called out, waving him over. "Come meet people!" He said excitedly, though Jasper had seen the boys he was with at the party last night. Jasper bobs his head and starts to walk over. It would be easy to excuse himself from Marks; to promise to give him the pants tomorrow and wash his hands of the slightly alternative-looking guy.

But Jasper didn't want things to be _exactly_ like Texas. He knew enough of his past mistakes to know that he wouldn't get Alice that way. He looks back over his shoulder, at the boy scuffing his shoe against the floor.

"Maybe I could join you at lunch some time?" Jasper offered vaguely.

Startled at the new kid offering, Marks gives a short bark of laughter, before he nods, grinning.

Jasper heads over to where Emmett stands with three other guys.

"Rob, Lee, Connor from last night." Emmett reminds him, and then looks at the pants on his shoulder. "Already set?" He asks. Jasper shrugs, not really invested, and Connor clears his throat.

"You keep introducing me to white boys and I'm going to get them mixed up." The boy said.

Emmett laughs and claps them both on the back. "Onward!" He declared, and they piled out of the lockers as a whistle was blown.

* * *

Rosalie was instantly suspicious of the newcomers to the boy table. Jasper had brought two nobodies that Rosalie certainly didn't care about. But she'd flog that horse when she got to it; for now, Jennifer was her new vague interest.

"So, I moved up from California after … it's so dreary here, I miss the sun!" Jennifer groaned, resting her elbows on the table as she spoke to Rosalie; her eyes intent on the other girl. Rosalie was periodically glancing around the cafeteria but nodded once.

"Yeah, moving's always hard …." Rosalie agreed absently, but then smiled at her nicely, not wanting the girl to think she was being ignored. "At least we made it fun with the party last night?" She prompted. After all, if Jennifer missed California that much; she could just go back there. Rosalie hated the sun; her mother's Brazilian heritage meant she tanned too quickly and clashed with pastels and neon.

But Jennifer nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" She agreed quickly. "I love parties so much, my friends and I always went to clubs, my dad knew people …." She continued airily, blowing out a sigh as though she was trying to be casual. Rosalie waited to see if Jennifer was trying to brag. "Always up for going out." She added with a grin. Rosalie settled; Jennifer was just vying for a continued invite. Rosalie narrowed her eyes and looked out the windows. Nothing but a full parking lot.

"Not so many clubs here …" Rosalie said, considering. Royce said he could get her into places; but Rosalie found something deeply distasteful about hanging out with his frat brothers. Rosalie looked over at Jennifer, who was watching her. "But we keep ourselves busy." She added with a smile. Jennifer wasn't going clubbing and shit here, and Rosalie didn't care if she wanted to.

But Jennifer smirks, trying to mask the relief in her eyes. "I can work with that." She assured her.

Katie slammed her hands on the table, causing the surface to wobble slightly. "Girls!" She trilled. "I just heard about a party next weekend! Do you know Samantha Wells?"

* * *

After English, Edward stared at the book in his hand. He hadn't meant to pick it up; he'd knocked it from a desk as he left, but the teacher hadn't known who owned it. It wasn't a school book.

Written on the inside was _I. M. Swan_, along with an address. It was painfully rube-ish to write your own address in a book cover, but it was obviously a child's hand.

It wouldn't hurt to make a delivery; he had nothing else to do on this insipid day.

* * *

Bella was sitting with Jake; it was easy and awkward in equal turns. They'd only became reacquainted two months ago, and Bella, for one, didn't make friends necessarily quickly. Jake was being extra friendly over what they did last night, so she made it effort too.

It was turning out to be not so hard, though. Jake was a friendly guy; he was warm, and Bella found herself enjoying the conversation.

Renee bustled in, with papers. "Now Jake," Renee says, sounding important and almost stern. But Bella's mother didn't do stern very well; as she was smiling very widely.

"_Yes_," Jake replied with a smile of his own.

"These are for you," She continued, and put the papers on the table – pamphlets, rainbow-themed. Bella felt the blush on her own cheeks, as Jake made a strangled sound.

"_No_," Jake says adamantly, but Renee didn't let him sweep them off the table.

"Now, Jake, your dad agreed!" She chided, "it's always good to have peers!" She argues as Jake continually chants 'no', staring wide-eyed at the range of youth-groups and counselling services.

He looks at Bella, his face wide and scared. But Bella shakes her head, her own fear fluttering in her chest. She told her mother _nothing_ of last night, not a word.

Renee tuts, but she's not a pusher, so she leaves them to it, and Jake stuffs them under the couch cushions.

It's quiet now she's gone.

"You didn't say anything?" Jake asks her quietly, his shoulders hunched. He wasn't looking at her.

"No!" Bella yelled immediately, and then bit her lip. "… A couple weeks ago I mentioned you were dating a boy." She admitted quickly, and Jake snaps his gaze to her, wide and panicked. "That was it!" Bella assured him quickly.

"But nothing about yesterday?" Jake asks with intensity.

"Nothing!" She says seriously. They stare at each other for a while, before Jake lets out a long breath and slumps back down, calmer. Bella takes a deep breath and focuses on calming down too. If they made too much noise her mom would come back in and ask what was happening.

And what could Bella say to that?

_Oh, mom, it's nothing! Just, last night, I didn't go to get cookies from the gas station like I said I would, to practice driving in your Prius. I went to Jake's house, and took him to his ex-boyfriend's, so that he could grab his stuff. I sat in your dusty Prius, shoulders up to my ears, while Jake slunk inside an old but normal-looking house. I sat all through the yelling, and the sound of glass smashing. Then Jake ran outside, and I might have made your tires a bit balder with how hard I gassed it out of there._

Bella felt her heartbeat speed up just thinking about last night. She glanced over at Jake. He, on the other hand, was staring mulishly at the colorful fliers. "… I don't have to do that shit, do I?" He asked her in a mocking type of moan.

Bella smiled a little, shrugging. "I don't kno – oh my god!" She was facing Jake, and the window to the sidewalk outside, and she spotted him. _Him_. Edward Cullen. She pointed frantically, as Jake turned to squint at the object of her attention, and affections. "That's one of the most popular guys in school." She said in a rush. It was the guy she was also in love with, but that wasn't something she was going to share.

Edward Cullen was walking up her driveway! He still had his backpack on. He sneezed into the crock of his elbow, like a gentleman. "Dream-boat." Jake snorted.

Bella wipes her sweaty palms on her thighs. "Why is he at my house!?" She demands, her voice high with confusion. She felt like running in little circles and chanting 'oh my god' several times.

Jake shrugs. "Maybe he's here to slap you." He swipes his hand through the air.

"_Why_?" Bella demanded, immediately running through her head all her actions at school for the past week. What had she done to deserve a slap.

Jake looks at her, frozen in a wide-eyed smile. He realized she'd taken him seriously and was trying not to laugh in shock. "I don't know, I'm just talking." He managed, and Bella jolted like she'd been shot as the door knocked. "Oh, he's gonna see your great sweat pants." Jake said, pointing to them.

They were fluffy and pink and very ratty. They were also too small; only ending at her ankles.

"_No_ …." Bella groans, slipping to the floor and curling into a ball. Jake laughed a little, as Renee opened the door.

"Bella! A boy from your school!" Renee called, and Bella just shook her head in her little ball.

Jake sighed and stood up. "I'll deal with this." He promises darkly.

"Jake!" She hissed as he walked to the front door.

He grins at Renee, who blinks at him, and pokes his head around her to look at the shorter boy. He's standing there with his hands in his pockets. "I'm Bella's representative, can I take a message?" He asked brightly. He doesn't break out into laughter as he hears Bella scrambling up the stairs furiously behind him.

Renee just tuts, waving a book under his nose. "You can take this!" She told him brightly. It was a copy of _Romeo and Juliet_. "She left it on her desk." Renee tells him disapprovingly. Jake flicks it open; it looks like Bella's handwriting with her name and address, if Bella had recently suffered a stroke.

"Her grandmother's last birthday present to her." Renee explains, turning to the boy on the stoop. "Last birthday before my mother passed, that is." She says, as Jake waves the front page of the book at her, and the awful handwriting. "Thank you very much." She said to the boy.

The boy was looking at Jake like he had two heads. Jake, though, was content to ignore his weird behavior, as the boy quickly looked back at Renee as she spoke. "… No problem." He said quietly. She seemed about to wave him inside, until he smiled tightly and excused himself.

"_Bye_." Jacob called as soon as the boy was far away enough not to hear him.

Renee put her hands on her hips and looked at Jake expectantly. "Where'd she go?" Renee asked him, perplexed. Jake shrugged just as there was a thundering down the stairs.

It was Bella, in a poofy 50's polka-dot dress, with a smear of lipgloss that had mostly gotten on her chin. She stares at them both, and then at the front door. "… He's gone already?" She asked in a small voice, already blushing in embarrassment.

Jake stifled his giggles badly, and Renee scurried off to get the camera because, oh, didn't she look so cute.

* * *

Edward felt heat in his cheeks and a shortness of breath, and he wasn't sure why. Why did looking at that smiling, long-haired young man make him feel a little like he'd run a marathon and won? Exhilarated but exhausted. The same rush in his stomach and wobbly knees he felt when he crossed the finish line at the state competition last year. He didn't allow himself to dwell on the pleasantness of the feeling; the way his cheeks weren't biting from the cold but flushed and warm.

Because it was a _boy_ making him feel this way. And Edward had the awful suspicion that the feeling was _smitten_.

* * *

When Rosalie is leaving school, after being dropped on the corner by Katie, she was surprised to see Emmett, standing on the footpath a little way down.

"Em!" She called out, raising a hand. When he sees her, his face lights up, and Rosalie enjoys watching the flash of his dimples. Emmett was an inarguable _babe_. One of those 'third-in-command' types that usually didn't interest Rosalie. It meant he wasn't as aggressive as the first two in charge of the social group; Lee and Connor, but he was too cute and valuable to the group dynamic to rank any lower.

Rosalie liked the dominant alpha male type; that was Royce exactly. But she could definitely see Emmett's appeal. You'd have to be blind not to.

"Rosie!" He sang out, hopping over to her and giving her a hug. "Dad's picking me up this afternoon, I'm no longer bussing it an hour! "He declared, unprompted.

Rosalie smiles and glances down as her phone buzzes.

_Remember to tell me if you stay at Katie for dinner_

It was her mother; under the impression that she was studying at Katie's house. Rosalie sent a quick confirmation and glanced back up at Emmett. He was rocking on his heels with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Like the new guy?" Emmett asked her pleasantly, eyebrows raised.

Rosalie shrugged with one shoulder. Jasper Whitlock was a surprise; she felt like he was adaptable and fluid in a way she'd never seen before. It made him interesting. But he was hedgy about his homelife when prompted, so Rosalie was a little on guard herself. "I get him." She told Emmett.

Emmett didn't snap at her not to talk about another guy, like Royce did when she mentioned friends from school. Emmett chuckled and gave her a grin. "I could see that. He's a lot like you; probably why I already like him so much." Emmett said with a wink.

Rosalie felt that silly tingle in her belly. It was harmless, childish flirting, and she enjoyed it. Emmett made her feel light and easy like this; with no one else around to be turned 'on' for, to be Queen Bee for.

But Rosalie wasn't attracted to him; which was a shame. She never felt the clenched stomach, fast heartbeat and sweaty palms like she did when Royce had her in his bed, pinned down by his hot gaze and strong fingers. _That_ was hot; like they were in a movie; it proved that Rosalie was much more mature for her age. They hadn't even had sex yet; Royce was always teasing her for tensing up or being scared.

She had Royce on the brain this afternoon; considering it was him that was picking her up.

Emmett's head snapped to the side as a big black Jeep hoked at him. Emmett grinned, and waved at the large, burly man inside. Mr McCarty raised a hand in return.

"Mom's coming soon?" Emmett prompted quickly, putting a hand on her shoulder as he took a step towards the car.

Rosalie shrugged, and heard a long, loud honk. She turned; and Royce was staring at her, eyes narrowed through the windshield of his jaguar.

"… Who's that?" Emmett asked, hand dropped from her shoulder, making it colder than the rest of her.

The dark look in Royce's face made Rosalie nervous, so she barely said goodbye as she trotted over and climbed into the car.

Emmett watched as Rosalie meekly hopped into the bright red car, and the driver sped away, leaving skid marks on the read and the tang of burnt rubber. He felt a twisting in his belly that he hated but shook it off when his dad beeped at him again.

He scurried over and climbed into the car, keeping his head down and only grunting one-word answers for the entire trip home.


	5. Friday Plans

The weather was chilly; freezing in the shade despite the cloudless sky, but direct sunlight offered some reprieve. Rosalie's trench coat kept her warm enough, though her latte helped with warming her core. Jasper was splayed out on a table in the sun in the morning. Rosalie saw him when she was walking in. Katie was sick because they had a history essay due that she hadn't written. Rosalie didn't have Jennifer's number; but she was fine with blowing her off if she didn't come and find her. Rosalie didn't chase after others, ever.

Jasper had sunglasses on and headphones in when Rosalie walked up to him. He lay across the surface of the table from head to knee, hands tucked under his neck. His feet swung lazily, and she stood between them.

He yanked one headphone out but didn't otherwise move. "'Mornin'." Jasper grunted. Rosalie hummed and double-checked her phone in case someone asked her where she was. She didn't mind leaning her hip against the table and standing there; the sun was weak but bright. "What's the plan today?" Jasper rumbled lazily; as though they weren't waiting for school to attend.

They were, it seems, hanging around to beat up Edward Cullen.

"We're not beating him up," Rosalie said drolly, but her smirk was wide. "Just reminding him that I'm not to be messed with." She said airily, flicking a shiny golden lock behind her shoulder.

Jasper hummed, tongue working around the strawberry and cream lollipop Rosalie had thrown at his head as he sat down next to her. "Are you jilted?" He asked her mildly. Though, he doubted it too; Rosalie didn't seem to go for the snappy and soulful type. She seemed to like them big and older, if the lock-screen on her phone was any indication. Some guy with his arm around her; all stubble and cheekbones.

Rosalie sent him a withering look. "Like I'd really go for the Oscar Wilde type." She said with an eye-roll. Jasper snickered and crunched down on the lollipop with some menace.

"Should we drag 'im down an alley?" Jasper growled, baring his teeth in a mild attempt at a snarl.

"No." Rosalie replied with a grunt, scowling as though the idea of physical labor offended her. "We should invite Alice to a party." She said, her tone lighter and slyer than before.

Jasper straightens up, and he feels his own grin stretch his cheeks, and excitement balls up fast and fluttering in the bottom of his stomach. Little Alice with him at a party – he liked the sound of that.

* * *

Alice was jerked in her seat as Edward pulled roughly up to student parking. It was always a hassle, a fight to get a car-spot amid bigger teenagers and harried teachers.

"We didn't die," Alice said in wonderment, and ducked laughing out of the car as Edward tried to slap her upside the head.

"We never do!" Edward argued, slamming the door shut. "I don't see how you trust me so little." He continued, trying to sound offended, but he yawns straight after.

Alice was about to retort, when Edward stops walking entirely, and scowls. "… I forgot something in the music room - come with." He grunted and stalked off in the other direction.

Alice grins, as Edward is usually intensely private about unfinished work, and scurries off after him. She thought poking around the music room in the morning sounded much better than what she usually did before school; which wasn't anything at all.

The music room was filled with the chunky black and silver cases of instruments left by their owners, and sheet music scattered a little bit of everywhere. Alice picked up a piece of paper and put it on a stand only to watch it flop again to the floor. She sighed loudly. "Edward – do you think we're living to our full potential?" She asked mildly, frowning.

Alice felt like she had so much _more_ in her. Why should her only friend be her brother? She never felt right sitting in a corner at lunch, she expected more from herself. "We should be going to parties, Edward!" She continued with conviction. She could just imagine being at a house party, dancing with aplomb, maybe even kissing a boy …. Her own thoughts embarrassed her, though, and she shook her head. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't _doing_ anything yet, and she had been working so hard to really be _herself_ in high school.

Edward had flopped onto a chair by the window and stared mulishly out at the drizzle. "Urg, don't say the word 'party' before noon, I'm already exhausted." He groans, rubbing a hand over his face.

Alice walked up to him a pressed the tips of her fingers into his shoulder. "Don't be sil, I'm serious." She says.

He looks up at her, and whatever he sees in her expression makes him smile and shrug a skinny shoulder. "… They'll be plenty of time to be youthful in college, where we can drink." He assured her. "Let's just focus on getting there." He decided gently.

* * *

Alice sat with the rest of the Triple A in art class. It was dorky, and she was sure they were all written off as brown-nosing teacher's pets. But Ashley, Angela and Alice had found their mentor and constant creative support in their art teacher. Alice, for one, wasn't ashamed to admit it.

She looked at Ashley Dowling, who was her usual, deeply-frowning self. Not that she was an unhappy person; but her concentrating face was a bit scary. Angela caught her eye and smiled. Alice liked Angela; she always felt there was nothing false about her. She liked the idea of being friends with a girl like her.

Alice asked her about weekend plans. "A friend and I were going to go shopping on Friday; my little brothers and her dad have the same birth week." Angela told her brightly.

"That sounds really fun!" Alice enthused, and psyched herself up for the next question. "Would you mind a plus one?" She offered brightly. It sounded desperately lame to invite herself to something; but she had decided it was the turning point. This was where Alice did something about what made her unhappy.

Angela nodded nicely. "I know I wouldn't," she said, but bit her lip, "but she's a private person, I'll ask her at lunch?" She asked quickly.

Alice bobs her head, stamping down on her disappointment. "Definitely let me know what she says!" She replied, and Angela agreed.

* * *

Jasper was livid and disappointed. They'd somehow missed Alice walking in the morning; and he intensely disliked the idea of the lithe lady slipping through his fingers. It wasn't a notion that sat right with him.

Not that he was gonna say that much crazy out loud. He was just quiet, staring at the picture frame D.J Garret was gluing together. He watched the entrance of the school like a hawk; but she didn't show. He thought she might not even attend today, until he saw her slipping into a room down the hall.

Plus, today he found D.J Garret talking to the boy from gym, Austin Marks and Jasper had to figure out if he was fun or just different from Texas. If he was throwing himself back into the hierarchy; his friends would have to match, _again_. It was a tedious and disappointing throwback.

"My mom and my brother are obsessed with robotics. I'm leaning more towards tattoo artistry." Marks was saying with a shrug, glancing at Jasper out of the corner of his eye to see if the newcomer was still paying attention.

"Cool." Jasper grunted back, but he meant it. It sounded unique enough to bring him up the ladder too.

But Jasper was too busy to worry about that now; he was out of his seat and off like a shot as soon as the bell rang.

He skidded to a stop right outside the classroom he saw her walk into. Leaning against the opposite lockers as the students that weren't Alice filed out.

She came out in the tail-end of the crowd, and he darted over to her quickly. She turned towards him as he approached and gave him a big grin that made his chest throb.

He dropped his head to almost his chin, so he could stand closer to her and look her full in the face. "Hello there," He began, and had to bite his tongue on tacking a '_darlin'_' on the end of it. They weren't like that yet.

"Hello, Jasper!" She chirped, looking up at him with those big eyes.

He hoped he wasn't essentially trapping her against the corner between the locker and the wall. But he didn't want anyone else seeing her, all sweet and smiley, and he felt too tender to be watched. But the proximity seemed to make them both much more comfortable. "Was wondering if you had plans, Friday night?" He all but purred.

Alice's gaze flickered, and she glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. "Um, not yet …." She replied, staring to smile again, wider, as though she just knew what he was going to ask. The anticipatory glint in her eyes almost made his toes curl.

He smiled at her in return, clearing his throat before speaking. "Well-"

"Jasper!" Rosalie's mature voice cut through the air, and he tried not to scowl as he looked at her. She waved her phone at him, clutching at the elbow of one Edward Cullen. Or dragging him, if the grip on his arm and the stormy look on his face was anything to go by. "Look who I found!" She called as he nodded to her. "Someone willing to sit with us at lunch." Rosalie explained with a simpering look. Edward seemed to be attempting to communicate something to Alice with solely his eyebrows. It didn't get through, as Alice only beams in delight to see him.

"Looks like you did too." Rosalie mused, inclining her head towards Alice with a triumphant smirk.

Jasper huffed out something between a sigh and a laugh and shrugged with one shoulder. "… Yeah, I did." He acknowledged, before glancing down at Alice, her skinny arms clasped behind her back with one toe-tip twisting idly. Those big brown eyes still blinking up at him, waiting. "… That is, if you'd like." Jasper added, hoping a big grin would make him charming.

It seemed to, since her soft little smile reached her eyes and made them crinkle at the corners. "I _would_ like," she agreed with a nod, and the four of them walked to the cafeteria.

Walking to the cafeteria, Alice felt lighter than air. Jasper had spoken to her and she was going to sit with him! She was also going to sit with Rosalie, who she saw walking in-step with Edward.

Edward didn't look happy to be manhandled, but Alice was too glad to pay him much mind.

"Rosalie, I like your top!" Alice said to her, looking at her white crew-neck that spelt 'love' with embroidered flowers.

Rosalie pressed a hand to her own stomach and thanked her nicely.

Alice was going to ask where she got it, when she heard a soft call of her name.

Angela raised a hand, ducking her head a little too. Alice slowed down and let the girl step over to her.

"I haven't asked yet," she began, looking apologetic. But Alice waved a hand, as though to wave the concern away, shaking her head with a smile.

"-As I was _saying_," Rosalie stepped in front of Alice, and placed her hands on the other's skinny shoulders. "You need to sit next to me!" She said with a pout, before noticing that Alice was trying to look behind her.

"It's okay, Angela!" Alice told her under Rosalie's elbow. Rosalie hooked an arm over Alice's shoulder and led her to her usual table.

"I appreciate that you're pocket-sized." Rosalie told her, smirking. Alice gave a giggle, and found she wasn't at all intimidated by Rosalie's substantial height.

The lunch-line went faster than usual, in the sandwich bar; Alice balancing talking to Rosalie behind her while the blonde continually reached over Alice's head, prodding Edward in the back to move faster. Every time he'd throw a 'quit it' over his shoulder while begrudgingly stepping forward. Alice was glad they all lined up for sandwiches in silent agreement; their father was a doctor and he preferred that they eat the healthy lunch.

When they all finally got their food, Rosalie tossed her head and nodded to her table. "Don't squish into the corner, _please_." She said with an eye-roll, but Alice found herself smiling. It was an invitation; straight-out, no pretenses. Edward threw Alice a look, as though he was annoyed, but Alice could tell there was no heat in his expression. They strode over to the table, and Alice felt warm realizing Jasper was sitting there already, one arm slung over an empty chair with Emmett on his other side. When Jasper caught her eye, he flicked his fingers down, eyebrows raised. An offer to sit next to him that she took up quickly. Alice noticed only a slightly beat-up pear and some fries in front of Jasper.

"Not hungry?" She asked him, but he only shrugged.

"Here," Rosalie said suddenly, reaching over Alice again to plonk down an orange juice on his tray. He gave her a nod.

Alice would have gotten annoyed at the reach-over, but the other girl affectionately knuckles the side of her cheek and makes her laugh. Jasper thanked her as he twisted the cap off. Alice watched his adam's apple bob as he drank, and felt just a touch of envy. She wouldn't have minded being the one to give him a drink.

Emmett had a large serving of fries for himself, that he seemed intent on stuffing into his mouth. "You need protein, man," he insisted, his voice muffled with food. But Jasper only shrugged. Alice was both impressed and disgusted by the visible knot of food she could watch Emmett swallow like a snake.

"Is that cucumber on your sandwich?" Rosalie exclaimed, looking to her other side where Edward sat. "_Ew_." She declared and starting a heated debate about sandwich fillings between them. Jasper caught Alice's eye and smiled down at her.

"What needs asking?" He asked her pleasantly.

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Huh?" Jasper nodded to a table that had Angela sat with them, and Alice let out an '_oh_' of understanding. She hadn't realized he heard her before. "Just Friday plans," she said airily, trying to seem casual about it.

Jasper looked at her with narrow eyes. "I thought you didn't have plans yet?" He prompted, grabbing up his pear and biting.

"I don't." Alice replied with a shrug, trying not to smile.

"-it's just soggy bread, Edward!" Rosalie declared, slapping her hand on the table. Edward just grunted as he ate. But then she lands her elbows heavily on the table next to Alice's tray. "Let's go to a party on Friday," Rosalie declares bluntly. "I'm really bored."

Emmett gave a resounding yelp in agreement, pumping a fist with excitement.

Alice perked up, smiling at the blonde. Jasper felt a stab of annoyance that Rosalie had asked her before he could. Jasper scowled over Alice's head at her; Rosalie knew she's just stolen his thunder, if the smile playing on her face was anything to go by.

Alice looked pleasantly surprised, visibly perking up. "Oh, where?" She asked.

"At some girl's house," Rosalie said flippantly, waving her crust vaguely. "Samantha-something. Sound good?" She asked, looking over at Emmett.

Emmett nodded animatedly. "You guys in?" He asks Jasper and Alice, eyebrows raised.

"_Very_ in." Alice agreed with a happy nod, before looking up at Jasper. "Are you going?" She asked him, and Jasper inclined his head, deeply satisfied at the way Alice gives him an even brighter smile, clearly showing her satisfaction that they'd both be going. And why shouldn't she be satisfied? Jasper was feeling pretty damn good about it himself.

"You don't even know this girl's last name!" Edward accused them, tone loud and disapproving as he glared at Alice. Something about his tightly crossed arms seemed to radiate hurt, though.

"Shut up – you're coming too." Rosalie snapped at him. This seemed to shock him into silence, but Alice clapped her hands with glee, looking more excited than ever. Edward seemed to settle for muttering 'stranger-danger' into his sandwich.

Jasper flicked a finger across the back of Alice's hand to draw her attention from gigging at her brother. "I'll pick you up?" He asked her softly, more than ready to suffer Edward sulking in the backseat if it meant that Alice would be in his car.

Before she could answer, Rosalie slammed her hand on the table. "Oh, pick _me_ up first!" She declared with a grin. "Then I can get ready with you." She explained to Alice, who looked over-joyed at the suggestion.

"Okay!" She agreed, and Jasper shook his head ruefully, but he couldn't quite keep his own smile off his face. But she just as quickly gasped and apologised to Jasper, because it was his car and his choice.

He only laughed. "Of course I will." He assured them both easily. As soon as Alice had agreed, Jasper would have no problem driving all the way to Nebraska for her.

"Oh, man if I wait at the fugly bench can you gimme a lift too?" Emmett asked him eagerly. Jasper was happy to agree, but Rosalie waved him away.

"Getting the bus to mine would be better, Emmett. You know the one." Rosalie piped up, and Emmett nodded with a loud promise to bring some gas money.

"Don't bother, my dad will give you twenty bucks for driving us both." Edward called to him, looking relatively bored even as he made sure to include himself in the plans.

In the end; Rosalie ended up putting her numbers into both Edward's and Alice's phones, passing them to Emmett, who did the same, and they went their separate ways after the bell rang.

Well, almost. Jasper fell into step with Alice, surprising, considering she had shorter legs.

"Where to?" He asked her with a smile.

"Math in the library." Alice replied with a heavy grimace. They were learning a new computer program to do the math _for_ them; but it was taking a very long time for Alice to get the hang of it. She looked down at her feet and out the windows periodically as they walked.

She didn't want to just grin at him like a fool, though she did actually want to do that. "Are you taking me there?" She asked him; Alice loved the idea of having him as an escort. So she beams as Jasper nods.

As they were walking, they pass by Angela and a few other girls.

Angela catches Alice's gazes, and, looking slightly guilty, shakes her head, and raises a finger with some emphasis. Silently telling Alice she hadn't asked _yet_ and was just about to.

Instead, Alice shakes her head and waves her hand quickly. She was thankfully that she didn't need to impose herself onto the nice girl's plans. "No need! Thanks anyway!" She calls as they pass each other by.

Jasper raises an eyebrow at her, looking genuinely cute and curious. But Alice just shrugs one shoulder. It wasn't meant to happen anyway, she already _had_ Friday plans.

* * *

I'm fiddling with formatting the page breaks, hope this is a bit more seamless.


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